Published: September 21, 2021

St. Martin’s Press

I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

James S. Murray is a writer, executive producer, and actor, best known as “Murr” on the hit television show Impractical Jokers on truTV. He is the bestselling author of the novels Awakened and The Brink. Originally from Staten Island, he now lives in Manhattan.

Darren Wearmouth is a bestselling author and co-author of many novels, including Critical Strike and Fast Forward. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers Group and the British Science Fiction Association and currently lives in Manchester, England.

“So it seems we have a stowaway.”

Being summoned for jury duty is tedious enough, but being selected only to discover it’s a brutal murder trial is downright terrifying. Maria is the head of the psychology department at Columbia, and she’s a juror on Wyatt Butler’s trial. He’s accused of murdering children. When the jury can’t make a decision and someone votes not guilty- Wyatt walks free. And Maria and her fellow jurors have to try to move on with their lives. Hoping for some normalcy, Maria takes her children and fiancé on a cruise. What’s the worst that can happen?

Wow, wow, wow. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but man, my mind is still reeling.

The characters are all so dynamic and deep. Emotional and vulnerable, yet rational and motivated. The arc throughout the novel was so well played.

The build-up for this book just kept building. It was so intense and so scary. There were several twists I didn’t see coming, and I couldn’t put the book down.

The last five chapters are bananas. And I love the ending. This could be such a brilliant movie. Engaging, terrifying, and twisted- this is anything but a dream vacation.